The GNU Project has released version 2.43 of the GNU C Library, known as glibc, six months after the previous update. This version advances compliance with the ISO C23 standard and includes security fixes, performance improvements, and new platform support. It introduces several new memory functions and optimizations for various architectures.
The GNU C Library, or glibc, serves as the core interface between user programs and the Linux kernel. On January 24, 2026, the GNU Project released version 2.43, marking a quiet but significant update six months following the 2.42 release.
A key focus of glibc 2.43 is enhanced compliance with the ISO C23 standard. It adds new standardized memory functions, including free_sized, free_aligned_sized, and memset_explicit. The update also features revised assert behavior and fresh definitions for C23 math and time functions. To maintain const correctness, several established APIs have been modified, potentially necessitating adjustments in affected projects.
Security receives attention with fixes for three vulnerabilities: a heap corruption flaw in memalign, information leaks in network name resolution functions, and exposure of uninitialized memory in wordexp.
Performance enhancements include faster, more precise math functions, drawing from optimizations in the CORE-MATH project. Architecture-specific improvements cover better AArch64 handling, an optimized memset for RISC-V, and support for forthcoming Intel x86 processors.
For Linux systems, glibc 2.43 incorporates new interfaces like openat2 and the mseal memory-sealing function. Locale data has been refreshed to align with Unicode 17.0, and experimental Clang build support is now available.
These changes aim to bolster reliability and efficiency in open-source software environments, with full details in the official announcement and release notes.
